Sales not near as good as last year?

[jordy1380]

I've been looking for some good sales online and I don't think the sales are even close to as good this year as they were last year! Last year I got some nice deals on ice gear and clothing after the season. Do you think this is because of the long season and they sold most of the gear that they had in stock? Last year I got some ice armor gloves and arctic armor gloves for under $10 which was a heck of a deal and I wish I would've bought a few more pairs. I got some nice deals on some combos that were almost 50% off...just don't see the deals this year.

[Swift]

Think they may be finally be on to many of us. Asses what will be needed for next season, stock up at 2 or 3 to one price wise and patiently wait for next season to arrive. Been doing it for years in a in all things, have tons of stuff that some friends complain about and probably have less money invested than them. OR, the economy is so shaky that it may be cheaper to hold onto it for awhile and hopefully make some real profit later.

[hardwater diehard]

I bought alot of gear this year ...both pre season and during the season ....missed some deals early on cause l waited ...l have a handful of sites that l frequently visit and wait for clearence or sales ...picked up a Striker ice suit recently  ...if l waited for it to drop much more my size wouldnt have been available (like now ) ...my search for the Clam drill plate at a deal still eludes me ....believe they are sold out except for some a retailers (not on line ) ...most of the popular and highly recommeded products are gone ...(alot of good real product review , endorsements and comments on this site ). Dont think you will see much over the next couple of months deal wise ....but come September more Clearence and sales will pop up as retailers restock and gear up for the new season  ...at least thats my experience ...with that being  said lll still keep looking over the Spring and Summer months ...so not to miss anything

[royjulius]

I picked up the Striker Climate suit also, and like you, got it while they still had my size. Got lucky. I used it at a bass tournament last week and I won! Musta been the suit.   

[Crash1433]

I think you've got a couple things that led to this lack of sale stuff. First of all last year I think alot of retailers ordered heavy in anticipation of a good winter. In our neck of the woods last year it wasn't a particularly good winter so local places had lots of stuff left over. Which in turn led them to ordering lighter this year so they didn't get hung with a bunch of inventory once spring hit. Combine that with the coldest longets winter in like 40 years here and more people bought more stuff this year than they did last year. So light ordering combined with longer demand has led to retailers not having leftover product they have to heavily discount to get rid of before warm weather comes at what amounts to a loos for them. Good for them but not really good for us.

[thomasthepikehunter]

I see plenty of stuff for sale, but its nothing I wan't. Clothing especially is seeming to stay at the same price. One thing that amazed me was at fleet farm. During the season beaver dam tip ups were $40. Now they have the yellow "on sale" sticker, and its still listed as $40.

[lefty2053]

Depending on the year I would say. One year they sale a lot and others they don't. So after a good year they make less the next so less to offer on sale. And if they are as smart as us buyers they will hang onto things and get full price the next year. The wife works retail. Her old manager would discount things down more and more until they were gone. Her new boss wont let them go and they end up in the back room until the next year. Of course this wont work with some clothing as it gets out dated almost yearly.

[rdhammah]

agree with all of the above. our local Dicks shipped all of their ice gear to the concord NH stire a couple of weeks before the Winni Derby. was told that this may be  an annual thing. This being the case, since the 2015 derby is 2/7, all ice gear will be shipped before the end of Jan next year.
this means no buying any last minute stuff.

[clarky76]

Gentlemen,

Hit your local auction house in the spring. They always have the best deals on used gear. I just bought a dozen heritage tip ups for short money.

[Byron/PA]

Agree with clarky76, lots of good deals on the auction site. ...

[gearheart]

I was checking out the local stores and they had all the warm water gear out already. I found what was left of the ice fishing stuff but it was not marked down at all.  They were not in a rush to clear it out.  Maybe save it for next year.

[backatit]

I've found that there aren't many sales out there anymore. I think the reason may be that there is  hardly anything new to add to their inventory to get you in to shop.  When the season is over they put "left over's" in the warehouse and bring it out next year and put the "current" price on it and continue the same process next year. Only items I do seem find on sale are items that don't sell because they have been proven to be a gimmick or non-productive or the sale price is less than one dollar of the original price.  Also, most people now go to sporting goods store, look for what they want, check prices, and then purchase online and if they watch for free shipping they pay less and they also don't pay sales tax.

[$ignmoney]

I was checking out the local stores and they had all the warm water gear out already. I found what was left of the ice fishing stuff but it was not marked down at all.  They were not in a rush to clear it out.  Maybe save it for next year.

I talked to a guy at DICKS Sporting goods and they told me it go's on a shelf in back room till next year. I think they are all starting to do that

[hardwater diehard]

I remember missing out on a deal from BPS on a Marcum LX 7 for $ 423.00 last year around October or November ....so save and save some more till the fall and those deals are sure to reappear again ...just act on them ...they dont last long if its a real deal and a popular item .

[rdhammah]

last year, Dick's had 50% off the clearance price. was picking up rods for $3.50 ea. ugly sticks and st.croix rods for $7.50 ea

[StonecoldCat]

Some things seem very different this year. Most years gas augers are not to be found anywhere by the end of iceseason.This year online even now[in May] Cabela's,Reeds,Gander Mt all have a fair selection in stock [some on sale].

[masoneddie]

If anyone is in the market for an IceArmor Red Suit in XXL, Reeds has them on sale for $129.99....$170 off!! Doubt you'll see them any lower than that.....XXL only....free shipping.